Average house prices are now a whopping 35% higher nationally than they were at the start of the pandemic. Daft.ie tells us that in the past three months house prices have risen again. Coupled with a spiralling cost of living and slow wage growth, owning a home is getting further and further out of reach for far too many people. That fact is borne out by Threshold’s annual tenant sentiment survey, which it published today. It shows a staggering 94% of renters are not renting by choice. They are renting because they have no other option and are trapped in a rental casino. Their weak rights and protections mean they can be evicted at short notice for almost any reason and they are typically handing over a massive amount of money for the privilege. Three quarters of those surveyed report struggling to cover the cost of their basic expenses after paying their rent.

These findings show an overwhelming majority of renters do not want to rent, but have no other option. What are they supposed to do? What is a person supposed to do today when trying to find a roof over their head in the worst housing crisis in the history of this State, a housing crisis I have described as the civil rights issue of this generation? A mortgage is out of reach for countless people, especially those who are single or living in cities. Even the Government's affordable schemes are out of reach for many people on good salaries. We need only look at the Oscar Traynor Woods scheme in Coolock. Renting is now neither affordable nor available for those who cannot scrape together the money for a deposit to buy.

There are schemes in place and we acknowledge that, but most of them are so bureaucratic they are impossible to access, and none of them meet the real level of need. Let us take the cost rental tenant in situ scheme. It is a good idea in principle that we in Labour called for. However, in recent weeks I have been supporting people from Dublin, Kerry and Limerick, all of whom have been locked out of the scheme due to unnecessary bureaucracy, so it is not working in practice. Take the couple, both in full-time employment, who have been renting in the private sector for 20 years. They recently received a notice to quit and are now facing the awful prospect of homelessness, despite being eligible for the scheme, because the Housing Agency is stringing them along, refusing to approve the vital purchase which would keep them in their home. The homelessness figures for May will be released on Friday and I will be doing all I can to ensure this couple and so many more are not represented in next month’s homeless figures.

The Government is nearing the end of its term and, for all the launches and glossy reports, the housing plans and schemes have not worked. They have not worked to address the root problem, namely, that housing is treated by the Government as a market commodity rather than as a common good. What schemes exist are so shrouded in red tape as to be inaccessible to those who most need them. What will the Minister do over the summer in particular to address the flaws in that cost rental tenant in situ scheme? What will she do to ensure people have the necessary supports to keep a roof over their heads and stay in their homes?

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The issue, of course, as we all know, is supply. The only way to address all the issues is to increase supply and the Government has been doing that. Over 32,000 housing units have commenced in the first five months of 2024. That is around the same number as in the whole of 2023. Some 500 individuals or couples are buying their first home every single week, which is also the highest first-time buyer activity since the property crash. No option is off the table when it comes to housing. We are in the business of looking for more ideas, more novel approaches and more innovative ways to continue to increase supply. When it comes to house prices the most important indicator is how house prices compare with people's incomes, and that remains relatively stable. That is why 500 families are buying their first home every single week.

The Deputy mentioned the cost rental tenant in situ scheme. It allows tenants to continue to reside in the property with the ultimate aim of transitioning these properties and tenants to the standard cost-rental framework over the longer term.

Some 97 properties have had bids accepted or have been acquired to the end of quarter 4 of 2023 since the launch of the scheme on 1 April 2023. The Department continues to work with local authorities to ensure that there is sufficient capacity in emergency accommodation. There is a lot happening there but we are seeing the results.

The Deputy mentioned homelessness. I know the figures are out at the end of this week and we know that there are too many people and too many children in emergency accommodation. However, context is important. Families become homeless all the time for various reasons and the most common reason is relationship breakdown. We can never stop that from occurring but we will continue to help families to avoid entering emergency accommodation and help them exit as soon as possible if they do.

It is important to say that when we talk about homeless families, they are not living on the street. The State is providing these families with accommodation and it is something we continue to work on. We are making progress, there is no doubt about that, and we accept there is more to be done. We will continue to work hard with the schemes we have in place. No stone will be left unturned with regard to housing, and I have to say, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is working extremely hard and effectively on this issue.

I am troubled by the Minister's reply. Of course we all agree that the key issue here is achieving increased supply and delivery of homes. I could not agree more with the Minister but the problem is her Government has not done enough to address this. Even the Government's own targets in Housing for All are clearly and patently too low. We have been promised the publication of increased targets by Government for many months now. The Taoiseach said again just yesterday that the revised upwards target would eventually be published in autumn of this year, but that is far too late. We are not seeing either an increase in ambition or the necessary increase in urgency to ensure there is the delivery of homes there.

When I ask the Minister a specific question about a specific scheme, she tells me about 97 properties. That is a drop in the ocean compared with the thousands of people in emergency homelessness, including over 4,000 children, as the Minister has acknowledged. The schemes that are there are just not working. I will repeat my question and ask what the Government is going to do for those who are trying to make the Government-backed schemes work in order to keep them, their children and their families in their homes. How will the Government commit to tweaking the cost rental tenant in situ scheme to make it work? It is just not working, and I have given the Minister one very specific example of a couple for whom it should be working, and it patently is not. What will the Government do to address this?

I thank the Deputy. I am happy to take the example the Deputy has given me and to get the details from her later. I will raise it with the Minister because if there are issues that need to be changed to make it work better, we are happy to take views on board. There is no doubt about that. What I am saying to the Deputy, however, is that we continue to offer a suite of different supports in the housing sector. We believe they are working because, as I said at the outset, 32,000 housing units have commenced in the first five months of 2024. That is progress and it is about achieving what we want to do, which is producing more houses. As I said, the only way to address this is to increase the supply.

The Government comes at affordability through different issues such as the increase in supply and the help-to-buy and first home schemes. The tenant in situ scheme is something that does work. I know of people who had good tenants and they wanted to move the property along. The local authority bought it and the tenants were able to stay on in the property. That is important. People are in their houses and are allowed now to stay on as local authority tenants.